Abstract:

Access to essential social services such as healthcare is an important element of development, and is often elusive for the majority of people in developing countries. Further, the move towards privatization models in many countries poses an increased threat to access, particularly for the poor. In El Salvador, the privatization of healthcare was approached by the government with little transparency and civic consultation. The social movement response, a nine-month strike by doctors and healthcare workers against privatization, showed social movements as forces not only opposing privatization, but also as creating a more open and transparent process of debate and engagement. The ability of social movements to act as democratizing forces is explored in the context of the Salvadoran social movement against healthcare privatization, showing a definite but limited ability to democratize in the short-term.